The news.
Everybody wants the updates... It has been so long since there was really any news fit to print. Even my facebook updates are few and far between, as well as bland. Well, now there is real news. It is mixed. First of all, the good bit. The chemo seems to be working as my tumor marker went from 104 to 85 in 3 weeks. This is very good. It has not been this low for a few months! So. the downside is that one of the main side effects of this chemo is that I actually have low blood counts for the first time ever. That means that I am susceptible to infection and this week it meant that I was not strong enough to get my chemo. That in itself is mixed news. Not well enough to tolerate it, but I don't have to get it... You decide if you are happy for me or concerned. It could go either way. It scared me at first as this has never happened before, but no one else seems particularly freaked out by it, so I am not. They will check my bloods again next week and assuming that my bone marrow has gotten a jump start again, I will go back to chemo. In the mean time, my acupuncturist got me a mushroom drink that builds blood. And it does not taste godawful. That is good. Without chemo, my taste buds are back and I am enjoying the food I eat more than I was for a while.
This summer has been really slow. The first week of it, Merav was out of town with a friend's family in Tahoe. This, the second week, Ze'ev is at the beach with Dad, Amy and Abe. Next week we will have two kids in the house, but Ze'ev will be in a full time camp. For the last couple of days, Merav and I have gone to a nearby pottery studio and made a bunch of things on the wheel. It was sooo much fun, but I had my bloods done twice. Once the morning before and I failed that test so they wanted to check again the next day. The results were worse, so I guess I kinda over did it.....So, now I am on self imposed couch rest. I will hopefully do some projecty stuff in the yard today, but hope to crank through a few books that we have from the library too. I have plans to see a friend this evening, so I have to save some energy.
So... that is my news... What about yours? Go ahead and e-mail me with what is going on in your life. As you can tell, I am in a fairly good if not edgy mood lately.
love love
Rebecca
2 comments:
Rebecca, that is *great* news!!! The low blood is not a huge deal, in my experience. Can't they just give you neupogen or neulasta? My blood tanked after every chemo, and neulasta brought it back every time. I also never got sick over the whole year, despite not having much of an immune system 'on paper'. That is true for a lot of people. So try not to be too worried about your counts. It may have no impact on your actual health. The dropping markers, on a chemo you feel good on, is really wonderful. I'm so happy for you! I'll call to see about lunch tomorrow.
love,
d
You're right -- I want the update, and now it's here! Thanks.
It sounds like good news to me, too, Rebecca, based on what I know about friends getting chemo and having to get regular Neupogen shots for a while. I'm glad you're having a slooowww summer, and hope you get to have more fun soon -- throwing on a pottery wheel with Merav sounds so appealing.
Love,
Bridget
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